Drop in visits to A and E at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals last month

There was a drop in the number of visitors to A and E departments in the Peterborough area last month. Photo: PA EMN-211009-094032001

Fewer patients visited A&E at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 15,910 patients visited A&E at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust in August.

That was a drop of seven per cent on the 17,193 visits recorded during July, but 27 per cent more than the 12,544 patients seen in August 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in August 2019, there were 14,430 visits to A&E at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 29% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A andE departments received two million visits last month.

That was a decrease of six per cent compared to July, but 19 per cent more than the 1.7 million seen during August 2020.

At North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust in August there were 428 booked appointments, up from none in July.

A total of 57 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95 per cent. Following a decision to admit, 823 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment, of those, 35 were delayed by more than 12 hours.

No patients left before being treated.